I’ve had a difficult time trying to articulate just exactly what this year has meant to me and how I’ll choose to describe it to the next round of Victory Scholars and those who ask me. I often think about what my purpose is in this life, as I know many people do. People talk about living life to the fullest as if there’s a pre determined equation to leading a meaningful and worthwhile life. I’ve slowly learned that that equation is a little different for everyone. What makes one person happy or fulfilled isn’t going to equate to the same thing for another. But to me living a full and meaningful life has a lot to do with experiences and the people I’m able to share them with. It’s about doing things that make you feel alive with the people you love. This year, I’ve had so many of those moments with old friends and new friends that quickly became family. Living fully is also about extracting the most from yourself and from others. Growing and helping those around you grow. It’s about sincere human connection and love and relationships. Like I said, different people will get different things out of the Victory Scholar Experience, but here’s a little taste of what I’m leaving Ireland with:
Experiences.
Before arriving in Ireland in August I had never left the U.S. In fact I’d never even been to the West Coast of America. I felt sheltered in a lot of ways, not having yet experienced other cultures and traveled on my own. This year I was able to
